Stitching guide and holding attachment for sewing machines



March 10, 1959 J. E. BURKE STITCHING GUIDE AND HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR sswmc MACHINES Filed Jan. 14, 1957 INVENTOR 1 fed neiieif B 10" e ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice STITCHING GUIDE AND HOLDING ATTACH- MENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Jeanette E. Burke, Vinita, Okla. Application January 14, 1957, Serial No. 633,862

2 Claims. 1 (Cl. 112-148) The present invention relates to an improved stitching guide attachment for sewing machines.

When stitching material along a curved line by hand, it is very difiicult to maintain the stitching at a uniform distance. Accordingly, an important object is to provide a simple, efficient, economical, and compact stitching guide attachment and work holder which is provided with means for accurately positioning the work, such as pieces of fabric or other suitable material to be stitcthed, so as to insure the material being moved automatically in a curved or circular path relative to the needle during the sewing operation.

A further object comprehends the provision of a guide and holding attachment including a pair of longitudinally adjustable straps or members arranged to be detachably connected to opposite sides of the base of a sewing machine. The attachment carries a laterally disposed supporting member having an upwardly projecting pin for engaging the material and which provides a relatively fixed support about which the material turns or rotates so as to insure the material being guided in a curved path to form a perfectly circular line of stitching or scallop.

Another object is to provide means for adjusting the pin supporting member relative to the sewing machine needle so that the radius of the curved line of stitching may easily be varied to form a larger or smaller circle or scallop as may be desired.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying claims and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, in which is shown a preferred embodiment of the stitching guide attachment:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing the adjustable guiding attachment connected to a sewing machine;

Figure 2 is a detailed plan view of the guiding attachment;

Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view, taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure 2. 1

Referring to the drawings, indicates a conventional sewing machine having a head 11 to which is connected the presser bar 12 and a tubular housing 13 which carries the reciprocating needle 14. The sewing machine 10 is mounted on a base 15 which, in turn, may be carried by a table or other suitable support, that houses the work feeding mechanism.

In order to hold the material to be stitched about a fixed point or pivot as the material is rotated and presented to the needle, to form a circular or curved line of stitching, there is provided a stitching guide attachment including a fiat strap or member 16 which extends transversely of the machine adjacent the needle 14. In order that the strap 16 may be adjustably connected longitudinally to the base of the sewing machine, it is preferably in the form of a pair of elongated slides or sections 17 and 18 having opposed overlapping inner ends 20 and 21 (Fig.

2,876,721 Patented Mar. 10, 1959 2 4). The outer end portions of the slides 17 and 18 ma be bent downwardly as at 22 and terminate in inwardly extending flanges 23, so as to provide depending curved end portions arranged slidably to engage the adjacent side edges of the base 15 as at 24 (Fig. 1), when the parts are assembled.

The inner end portion of the slide or section 18 has an upwardly extending threaded bolt or pin 25 (Fig. 4) which projects loosely through an elongated longitudinal slot 26 in the overlapped portion 20 of the slide 17, so as to permit longitudinal movement of the slides 17 and 18 relative to each other. A movable pin supporting member 27 extends laterally and outwardly from one side of the strap 16. The member 27 has a centrally disposed opening 28 adjacent one end thereof for receiving the bolt 25, and its opposite end is provided with an upwardly extending pin or member 29 to which the material to be stitched is attached. The pin 29 constitutes a fixed pivot about which the material rotates or turns as it is presented to the needle 14 so as to insure a curved line of stitching being automatically formed in a circle or scallop as may be desired. A threaded nut 30 is connected to the bolt 25 and between the nut and the top of the pin supporting member 27 may be positioned a washer 31, so that, when the nut is threaded down on the bolt 25, it will clamp the sections 17 and 18 of the strap 16, as well as the supporting member 27, firmly in a fixed position. The out 30 may be serrated as at 32 on its outer peripheral surface to facilitate the turning thereof.

As the reciprocating needle 14, bolt 25, and the pivot pin 29 are disposed substantially centrally of the width of the base 15, they are always in longitudinal alignment, so that the size of the circle or scallop stitching may be varied upon loosening the nut 30, and thus allow the guiding attachment 16 to be moved longitudinally relative to the base 15, in order that the pin 29 may be moved either closer or further away from the needle 14 depending on whether it is desired to form a smaller or larger circle or scallop. Upon tightening up of the nut 30, the pin supporting member is firmly maintained in its adjusted posi tion, so as to form a perfectly circular or scallop line of stitching.

Thus, it will be seen that the guiding and holding attachment may be readily connected to all types of sewing machines. Moreover, the attachment insures the forma tion of a perfectly circular or scallop line of stitching when attaching material, such as lace or tape to cloth or other material, as desired by the user.

It will be understood that the form of the invention shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as come within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A stitching guide attachment for sewing machines including an adjustable strap adapted to extend transversely of the base of the sewing machine and be displaceable longitudinally relative thereto, means on the ends of said strap for slideably connecting said strap to the sides of the base, an elongated supporting member extending transversely of the strap, means detachably connecting one end of said supporting member to said strap, said supporting member having at its opposite end an upwardly projecting pin, said pin adapted to constitute a center pivot about which material may rotate to form a circular line of stitching thereon, and said supporting member and said pin being displaceable with said strap relative to the sewing machine needle so as to vary the diameter of the circular stitching.

2. A stitching guide attachment for sewing machines including a sectional strap adapted to extend transversely of the base of the sewing machine, said sectional strap having overlapping inner end portions, one of said inner end portions having an upwardly projecting bolt and the other a longitudinally disposed elongated slot through which the bolt loosely extends so that the sections of the strap may be adjusted longitudinally relative to each a circular line of stitching during the sewing operation, and said supporting member and said holding pin being simultaneously displaceablewith said strap relative to the sewing machine needle so as to vary the diameter of other, means for detachably connecting the outer ends of 5 the circular stitching the sections of the strap to the sides of the base, an elongated supporting member extending outwardly and laterally from one side of the strap, means detachably connecting said supporting member to said bolt, means releasably engaging said belt for maintaining the sections of the strap and said supporting member in a fixed position, said supporting member having a holding pin engageable with the material to be stitched so as to accurately center the same about a fixed pivot in order to form References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

